Here are five facts about the Mexican holiday that you can use to
impress your friends:

1) Despite a common misconception, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s
Independence Day. The holiday celebrates the
Battle of Puebla
, where, against all odds, the Mexicans made a stand against an
invading French army in 1862.

2) Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than it is
in Mexico, with the exception of the city of Puebla. Mexico holds
more of a celebration on its
Independence Day, September 16,
than it does on Cinco de Mayo.

3) The holiday means big business for the avocado industry. The
California
Avocado Commission
says that Americans consume around 81 million avocados during Cinco
de Mayo.

4) Chandler, Arizona, has a unique way of celebrating Cinco de
Mayo. It hosts a Chihuahua race every year.

5) The 2010 U.S. Census estimates that about 31.8 million U.S.
residents are of Mexican origin. The largest concentration of
Mexican-Americans is in Los Angeles, the city that holds the largest
Cinco de Mayo celebration in the U.S.

In a large bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, cheese, scallions, egg and 3 tablespoons flour until combined. (See Kelly's Notes.) Using your hands, divide the mixture into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a compact ball then flatten it into a pancake about a 1/2-inch-thick.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a shallow dish and carefully dredge each pancake in the flour.

Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. (Add enough oil to thoroughly coat the bottom of the pan.)

Fry the pancakes, in batches, until they're golden brown and crispy on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Add more oil to the pan as needed between batches. (Do not overcrowd the pan and do not flip the pancakes too soon or they won't develop a crisp crust.) Transfer the pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle them with salt.

In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought I’d share a letter the 1-year-old wrote to my wife.

A couple weeks ago he pulled me aside and said he had jotted down some thoughts for a Mother’s Day card. He knew I had some writing experience, so he asked if I could look it over. This sounded reasonable, so I obliged.

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I had to polish it up a bit (man, kids can babble on), but here’s the finished product:

Dear Mom,

We’ve been close since the beginning. For whatever reason, we just seemed to click. I’m hungry, you have food. I want to sleep, you put me in bed. I need a clean diaper, and you detect this through some magical power — I’m convinced is hidden inside your nose — and give me a fresh diaper.

From vicious vacuums trying to eat me to loud noises coming from the radio, you’ve saved me so many times. I love that.

I also love that you understand how challenging walking can be. And how any shirt I’m wearing might as well be a straight jacket when it comes to me trying to remove it.

I love that you appreciate my prowess at climbing the two steps to the top of the 24-inch slide in the backyard. And also how you celebrate my slide down every time as if I just scored a perfect 10 in the high dive event at the Olympics.

I’m sorry about the whole splashing in the toilet thing and that “code brown” situation in the bathtub. I should know better. But I’m thankful you were there to handle it, because that Dad guy doesn’t know what he’s doing when it comes to bathroom situations.

(Just between us, he totally asked me if I could just “hold it until Mom gets home” the first time he was watching me while you were gone.)

I have to admit I was confused by people patting your tummy and saying, “the baby will be here soon.” I thought I was the baby. I did some research into the subject and it appears I’m going to be an older brother. I’m assuming this isn’t going to impact your ability to protect me from the vacuum.

But this isn’t about me. It’s about how wonderful you’ve been. No one has made sure I was more completely taken care of than you, and I know my baby brother is going to be just as well taken care of.

In the 15 months I’ve been in this world (and the two years we’ve been together), no one has more thoroughly shown me what love is than you. I love that.

I hope you have a great Mother’s Day. You’re certainly a great mother.

Middle of the night diaper changes are no fun. This clever gift idea will keep new moms laughing at midnight.

At first glance, it looks like a regular gift basket filled with diapers and other necessities. But take a closer look, and you’ll see that each diaper is pre-stuffed with a little message. Use these tiny notes to encourage the new mom or tell her a joke. Even the silliest of jokes can be funny to someone who is sleep deprived.

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You can also include a little extra pampering for the mom like a pair of soft slippers. Anything to make those late night moments a little more enjoyable.

With these easy DIY projects, you will have everything you need to transform Mom’s space into a beautiful wonderland of pretty flowers and thoughtful details.

Set the tone for Mother’s Day by surprising her with a decorated kitchen or dining room for the full effect. She will be so overjoyed with the bright happy transformation.

Floral initial

This pretty statement piece is easy to make with a few supplies from the craft store. Transform fake flowers and a paper letter into this gorgeous decoration by simply cutting the stems from the flowers and glueing them inside the letter. Paint the outside of the letter for a finished look. Find the full tutorial on LuLu’s blog.

After you’ve made some pretty paper flowers in Mom’s favorite color, you’ll need a vase to put them in. This gold and white striped vase starts as a tin can. Paint pretty stripes and voila you’ve got a centerpiece. Find step by step directions on Two Delighted.

Hand-painted table runner

Your centerpiece will look perfect on this colorful runner. The kids will have tons of fun making this one for Mom because its finger painted. Use brightly colored craft paint to make these polka dots in whatever arrangement you like. Mom will love the creativity of this one! HGTV shows us exactly how to make it.

In the Kitchen With ... Linda Roberts, Alpharetta From a special Atlanta Journal-Constitution feature in which readers nominate their favorite home cooks. Nominated by friend and co-worker Cindy Thompson: "Have you ever seen someone whose idea of relaxing is cooking a free breakfast for 100 or so friends? [Linda] learned at the knee of her grandmother and loves to share her down-home Southern cooking with everyone." See vegetarian option below.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and line the bottom with the slices of bread. In a large skillet, cook the breakfast sausage. Transfer the sausage to a large mixing bowl; drain the fat from the pan, and wipe it clean. Add the vegetable oil, and cook the onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Add it to the bowl with the sausage. In a small saucepan, cook the broccoli in a small amount of water until the broccoli turns bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the broccoli, and add it to the mixing bowl. To the sausage mixture, add the mushrooms, tomatoes and grated cheese. Stir to combine, and then spread the mixture evenly over the bread in the baking dish. Break the eggs into the mixing bowl, and beat well with the half-and-half, salt and pepper. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the sausage mixture. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until casserole is semi-firm and puffed in the center.

Notes:

Tester's note: To reduce the cholesterol and fat count, you can use reduced-fat cheese and leave out some or all of the egg yolks. You can also substitute 8 ounces of thawed and crumbled (uncooked) vegetarian breakfast patties for the cooked sausage. You can assemble this dish the night before and bake it in the morning, or you can cook it and store it in the refrigerator for a few days. Reheat individual pieces in the microwave.

To make the Easter Basket Cake, first mask the cake with a thin layer of icing and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a basketweave tip, alternately pipe a short horizontal line, then a short vertical line, rotating around the entire bottom of the cake, until you reach the point where you started.

Continue with another row above these lines, alternating the vertical and horizontal stripes with what is on the bottom. Keep adding rows until you reach the top.

Create a border by weaving the tip around the top of the cake's perimeter.

Bend a forsythia branch over the top of the cake and tuck the tips into the side for a basket handle.

Fill the center of the "basket" with toasted coconut that has been tinted green.